updated 03:50 pm EST, Tue November 20, 2007

Kyocera EVDO Rev. A card

Verizon Wireless will soon carry the KPC680, an ExpressCard 34 modem built by phone maker Kyocera. The card is notable mainly for supporting EVDO Revision A, a format which here peaks at 1.4Mbps down, although Verizon claims 600kbps is more likely. Upload speeds, meanwhile, are said to vary between 500 and 800kbps.

Distinguishing features of the card include a corkscrew flip-up antenna, and twin ports for improving reception with external antennas. Computers using the card require Windows 2000, XP or Vista, or else Mac OS X 10.4.8 and higher. The 680 normally costs $100 with a two-year contract, but is $50 cheaper online; in either case, users must subscribe to Verizon's BroadbandAccess service.